By Harry Mottram: There are mounting concerns over the number of events organised in the town after poor ticket sales led to the cancellation of two ticketed social events recently with a third one this week being scratched. The Axbridge Blackberry Carnival fundraiser planned for Sunday March 1st in the town hall with duo music Brooks Williams and Aaron Catlow (pictured), has been cancelled. One of the reasons could be due to an increase in live music and other events compared to a year or so ago with the opening of the Axe Vale Arts Centre. Plus of course a Sunday evening gig before a school day may have also been a factor as well as the type of music on offer. The Sports and Social, The PTA at the School, the Church, and The Lamb Inn all stage events from time to time as well. It raises the question of how many events during The Cost-of-Living Crisis can a town the size of Axbridge stage which all cover their costs?
Axbridge Carnival – the fundraiser on March 1st with the musical duo of Brooks Williams and Aaron Catlow has been cancelled
There is a chance to help support the town’s carnival at the AGM. If you would like to take more of an interest then pop along to the AGM on Monday 9th March in the Church Rooms at 7.30pm. They are a lovely group of mainly young people who stage the annual carnival in September which brings in thousands of people to the town together with the fun fair.
Town Council Reports
The latest minutes of the Town Council are not yet available online but the ones from previous months are and so here are a few highlights. By the way you can look at the minutes, agendas and see what the council does and even join as a councillor – they are all volunteers who do the best for the town. Visit https://www.axbridge-tc.gov.uk/
In a recent one the Police reported that several vehicles in the town did not have current Vehicle Excise Duty (the old tax disc we used to display in our car windscreens) and MOTs (Ministry of Transport tests) and were ‘aware of a car incident in Moorland Street on New Year’s Day.’ On the subject of Vehicle Excise Duty and MOTs it is widely reported that in this country around half a million vehicles don’t have a valid MOT and more than a million vehicles also haven’t paid for the Vehicle Excise Duty – which is easy to do online. If you watch those online Police videos on TikTok and YouTube you will notice that Police highway patrols routinely run computer checks on car number plates to establish if they are being driven without the correct tax and MOT. In the early 1980s I was riding my motorbike in Surrey and was pulled over by the Police as in those days they looked for number plates from out of the area. Suffice it to say I hadn’t a valid tax disc – and had three points placed on my licence. So this piece of Police and motoring news is personal to me!
Electric vehicle charging news
Cllr Pauline Ham updated the meeting of the Town Council on Somerset Council who are ‘investing funds for electric vehicle charging on council owned sites. Members would seek confirmation that this would apply to sites now owned by the Town Council (i.e. following devolution from Somerset Council) and would consider possible site opportunities.’ It is one of the changes in local Government that facilities like car parks and public toilets were shifted from central responsibilities to local parish and town Councils to save money. It was done in the knowledge in part as places like Axbridge Town Council are run by councillors who are not paid – in contrast to the officials from district and county councils. So it does seem fair that the expense of installing electric charging points should be funded at lease in part by the former owners of the car parks since the bulk of our Council Tax goes to County Hall in Taunton. Pauline Ham is a town councillor but also was elected as a Somerset Councillor along with Ben Ferguson in the last local elections as Liberal Democrats.
Orchard Road Development
In a further report at the town council there has been no further news relating to the proposed planning application off Orchard Road – the firm Strongvox of Taunton are behind the plans. Axbridge News can confirm that the proposed housing development is set to request planning permission for the construction of 43 homes in the field this year. After an initial consultation in the form of a questionnaire and the announcement by Bristol Water it would be building a new treatment works nearby along with an access road the plans disappeared from Strongvox’s website. Although the plans have gone, the company confirmed by an email question by me they are to put in for planning consent.
Nursing Home conversion
The architects Angus Meek published plans for the former nursing home off West Street last year. They stated: “Full planning application submitted for the redevelopment of Axbridge Court. The proposed development seeks to convert the former care home, which lies centrally within the settlement of Axbridge and the historically-rich setting of the Grade II Listed former Axbridge Workhouse, in order to provide 21no. high quality dwellings with associated parking and outdoor amenity. A mix of conversion and extension will utilise the existing buildings on site.”
A public meeting was held last year to hear comments from the public in the town hall. The former nursing home in West Street had been empty for some time after Almondsbury Care Limited went bust and closed the home in 2022 making the staff redundant and the residents homeless. It also left creditors in the lurch and according to ICSM of Bridgwater it took some time to sort out their accounts with a creditors meeting held a year later. After it went into administration the property was largely empty but a planning application was been put in to convert it into 21 ‘dwelling houses’. Originally built at the beginning of the 20th century as an Edwardian cottage hospital it was located next to the former workhouse and later hospital that was converted into flats in the 1980s. Builders are currently on site.
Highways Matters from the Council
The Town Council’s recent minutes noted: the ‘central island at Townsend: the corner of this grass verge always looked a mess, being driven over by lorries. It was difficult to resolve this.’ Efforts in the past have been made by residents to tidy the verge as well but trucks consistently mount the curb and damage the grass verge. This is an ongoing issue which other places in the town also experience such as Meadow Street and Old Church Road.
The Town Council minutes also reported on the proposed changes to parking in the Square: “The consultation had closed on 30 November 2025 and the group had considered all responses received as summarised in the report. The overall response had been positive and other comments were considered and addressed where appropriate. It was not proposed to alter parking restrictions in The Square. As a result of the consultation, members proposed that the Council request Somerset Highways to go ahead with the plan as agreed, with one very minor “tweak”: to also move the middle vertical space on the south side of the Square by the Almshouse back, so it is adjacent to the edge of the road (as the spaces either side are/will be in that position as well).”
The Council said they would request Somerset Highways to proceed with the improvements and that they would confirm they would also ensure the new white lines would be repainted when they faded.
Also, they reported on the issue of losing three spaces in the Square by increasing the parking at the top of St Mary Street in Jubilee Road. The clerk to the council reported: “…the group wished to request that the double yellow lines in front of The Pennings be removed, being historic lines to access the former garage and petrol station. This would compensate for the 3 lost spaces in The Square and would act as traffic calming, similar to parking in Jubilee Road. Lines would need to remain to permit safe access and vision for properties either side of the Pennings. Somerset Highways would be asked whether this section of double yellow lining could be removed.” Those old enough will remember that The Pennings is a newish building despite being a pastiche of a Georgian mansion and replaced a petrol station and garage.
Cheddar Reservoir 2
No news on the massive construction project lately although there is to be a second consultation this year and will ‘involve a wide range of organisations including statutory authorities, regulators, catchment partnerships, customers and local community groups.’ Planning applications will be submitted next year the West Country Water and Environment have confirmed. A reminder that the reservoir which will provide around 20 million litres per day of drinking water by 2035-36 during the summer months and will be the same size approximately than the current one but will be deeper in depth. It will be supplied with water from the Cheddar Yeo and when required the River Axe and while the old one is strawberry shaped the new one will be amoeba shaped – although Bristol Water do not use these descriptions!
Axbridge Diary
I try to keep this diary of what’s on in the town up to date – so do send in your events to me as it gets thousands of reads a month. See https://www.harrymottram.co.uk/journalist/axbridge/diary/
Note: I get asked this frequently so just to repeat I write up these stories from time to time out of personal interest – all the information is in the public domain – I put it together, so it makes sense to me. I am not paid – my main job is covering Bath for Bath Voice News and ICSM of Bridgwater which is about business insolvencies.
Harry is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Blue Sky, YouTube etc
Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk
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